Welcome, old and new readers alike.
To those that have read my work so far you're wondering. Where the hell is the next chapter for 'At World's End'? Well to refer to the GoT dragons in South Park. They're coming. This story is there and being created whenever I have time but do not have access to the materials I need for the main story. Such as manga extracts of the H.O.T.D story and of course, the notes I have pre-made for each chapter.
Don't get me wrong the main story's progress is coming along smoothly so it will not take as long to release it as last time.
For future reference, I will be updating the main profile page not only the OC list I have used for current stories but also chapter progress for up and coming chapters as well and if I'm not updating it then feel free to poke me about it.
Now then for this story, this would be the story if a certain element was changed about although it would be pretty easy to guess what that element is by now. This story in terms of chapter length is not going to be like the main story as I have my own stopping points so the chapters will be somewhat shorter. Also some other characters from other animes may appear as this progresses.
Anyway enough from me. Enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own H.O.T.D or any of its characters. Apart from the OC's, they're mine.
Around 2 and a half days before 'Z-Day'
In the Busujima household
"Ah James, right on time, what do you have for me?" Kathleen answered.
"We have a slight problem, most of the materials in the vial is standard for medicine, however there is traces of uranium within the substance." James explained down the phone.
"Uranium? That can cause problems even if any amount of it is used at all, it could potentially change the human DNA in large continuous doses but since it's in the bloodstream that no longer matters. It would most likely kill whoever receives this. Whoever conjured this experiment must be extremely mad to even try this. You know it's a good thing you brought this to me when you did. This gives me the evidence to justify the last few hours." Kathleen replied.
"What do you mean by 'when I did'? I thought the plan was to wait until I gave you the information and then come to a decision to pursue it further." James queried with concern.
"Something didn't sit right with this at all. A longshot being tested on humans in an uncontrolled environment is a recipe for disaster. I took the risk of going in now and dealing with the consequences later." Kathleen answered keeping her usual calm tone.
"So in other words. You took a gamble." James concluded.
"Exactly, we have had confirmation of all of the patient listings on their database so we are in the process of rounding up those that were in the experiments before anything happens to them and if it comes to it then they will be put down before they can harm anyone else. I'll update you in a couple of days. Till then. Enjoy some normalcy for once in your life." Kathleen responded once more.
James sighed at this answer before speaking.
"Alright. Keep me posted." James finished before ending the call.
Exhaling deeply, James lent back and thought about how many people that could have been experimented on around the world. How many lives that could be potentially ended early because of his family's decision but then again it could be for the best if something were to happen if they had just waited.
At this point a knock came at the door. James turned to see Saeko's head poke through the door. A concerning look was on her face.
'She heard me sighing. Fortunately she couldn't understand the conversation earlier or this could be a long night.' James thought to himself before the young woman at the door slowly stepped into the room.
"Is everything alright James-san?" Saeko slowly asked as though she didn't want to pry on private matters.
"Nothing too concerning. Actually it was my mother scolding me for being distant." James replied with a chuckle at the end.
Saeko looked a James with a frown on her face before replying.
"Well she is correct you know. Since you got here you have been trying to avoid father and me whilst we're at home." Saeko pointed out with a serious look on her face.
James looked at her and noticed how much she felt on the matter. He stood up so he could look into her eyes. Saeko noticed the same look when James became serious at school. She thought she had overstepped her bound when she saw this look.
"Well then maybe we need to change that then." James smiles and tapped her shoulder before walking past her to the door.
"Hey, father said you couldn't touch me." Saeko soften and smirked playfully.
"Is that so? He said nothing about beating you in sparring though." James smirked back as he opened the door but not stepping through it.
Saeko looked at him for a moment before smiling like a child getting her favourite toy for her birthday. She moved quicker than normal to the door. James chuckled once more before turning back to the equipment left in the counter.
'I'll dispose of it during the night as the uranium would be more difficult to move right now. She didn't ask about it which is only a good thing for now. But let's have some fun.' James thought before moving through the door himself.
Two days later. (12 hours before 'Z-Day')
James had went to his room following an entertaining dinner with Saeko who was still feeling sore in her joints from the spar two days before. This had affected her movements when teaching her classes in the dojo as the substitute for her father. To pay her back for that, James volunteered to do the warmups and cooldowns for each lesson which left all of the students with similar pains as they had not trained in his way before.
The spar a couple a days earlier knocked Saeko out like a light allowing James to move the materials out of the room and be disposed of without raising suspicion.
The room now was tidy and clean just the way he likes it as it avoids Saeko telling him to clean it or her doing it for him.
He knew that his mother would call him soon with news. Hopefully it did not contain the news that tens of thousands of lives had to be eliminated. But would it be necessary in order to save the lives of millions? That is what James was thinking right now as he took his place on the futon and waited patiently for that phone call.
It wasn't long before the vibration along with a light appeared and James went answered the call.
"Mother what's the news?" James asked quickly.
"Patience James I will tell you. It took nearly the policing resources of nearly half the countries in the world but we managed to round up all of the patients that we're experimented on." Kath explained.
"and what happened to them? Any side effects worth noting?" James asked once more.
Kathleen sighed which was picked up by James.
"Unfortunately a couple of hours after we picked them up they began to deteriorate at an alarming. Like they had ingested a high end acid as their blood had started turning black. A few minutes after death, their corpses reanimated and started making moves towards our doctors. Taking no chances, I ordered the termination to whatever that was and to purge the remaining patients. I'm sorry but I didn't want to risk it. It was like the movies those Hollywood producers bring out only real." Kathleen went on slowly so that James could hear every word.
James also sighed but Kath already knew he was going to do that.
"I know what you're thinking. We are trying to justify the deaths of several thousands of people. Remember what your father taught you 'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few'. We averted something that could have caused billions of deaths on a global scale. I will deal with the consequences later." Kathleen continued to sooth James worries.
"So what are my orders? Do you need me back?" James asked.
"Pulling you out now would arouse suspicion and heaven forbid the government's need an excuse to overreact after all of this. In the meantime, use the rest of the allotted time to have a normal life for once. Train, socialise, whatever. However your father did give you one instruction. Get some contacts of your own over there as your father's are loyal to him but not to you." Kathleen answered.
James took a moment to think before speaking.
"A year without Lee's pestering for training sessions. Alright understood. Keep me posted." James acknowledged before ending the call.
James then looked at the door and waited for the inevitable knock and which came not seconds later with the form of Saeko slowly entered the door.
"Back to this again I see" Saeko pouted as she sat on the futon next to James.
James patted her head before responding.
"Don't pout. That's not you and I apologise. That was a quick check in with home about things going on over there." James said to the slightly blushing girl next to him.
"So what are you going to do to make it up to me?" Saeko smiled as she clutched what was clearly a bokken underneath her kimono.
"Sometimes I wonder if you actually like getting beat by me?" James sighed which turned into a chuckle.
"Well no matter how many times I lose to you. I will get you one of these times and besides, it's the most fun I've had in a long time." Saeko admitted as she stood up with a smile on her face.
"Fine then. Just don't start crying from the pain when you wake up in the morning after when I'm through with you." James chuckled as he stood up as well.
The two exited the room laughing with each other.
AN: Well that it's for this chapter. It was more to rejoin from the main story's prologue and to wrap up that in one go for the story to actually start. Think of it as a prologue inception.
If it seems confusing then please read the Prologue chapters in the main story and that should clear up any thoughts this chapter may have left.
Till next time, read, review all of that.